Vocabulary and word parts
Morphology is the study of word parts: prefixes, suffixes, bases and roots, and how they combine to make meaning. Teaching it helps students read, spell and understand long words, because a word like "unbreakable" stops being 11 letters and becomes three parts the student already knows.
Vocabulary is the wider goal: knowing what words mean and using them. Most words are learned from reading and talk, but direct teaching helps with the words students meet often in books and rarely in conversation. Word parts give students a way to work out many of those words alone.
The articles in this section explain how to teach prefixes and suffixes, when to start Greek and Latin roots, how to use word sums, and how to choose the words worth teaching directly. They also cover the spelling changes that happen when a suffix is added.
The word parts pages list each prefix, suffix and root with its meaning and example words shown as word sums.
Start here
Vocabulary instruction: how to choose words and teach them so they stick
How to teach vocabulary that sticks: the three tiers of words, how to choose words, a teaching routine that sticks, word parts, and how many words per week.
All articles
How to teach Greek and Latin roots
Which Greek and Latin roots to teach first, how Greek and Latin parts differ, a weekly routine for roots, and the limits students need to know about.Prefixes and suffixes worth teaching first
Which prefixes and suffixes cover most affixed words, what order to teach them in, and simple routines for reading and spelling words with affixes.Morphology for struggling readers: where to start and what to teach
How morphology helps struggling readers decode, spell and understand long words, where to start, and a lesson plan that fits a short intervention block.Word sums and word matrices: what they are and how to use them
What word sums and word matrices are, how to build them with students, worked examples with the bases help and port, and how they teach spelling and meaning.Context clues: what they can and can't do for readers
What context clues can tell a reader, why they often fail, how often students learn words from context, and how to teach context clues honestly.Academic vocabulary: how to teach tier 2 words across subjects
What academic vocabulary is, which words to teach in grades 3 to 8, a routine that works across subjects, and how to get students using the words.Read-aloud vocabulary: choosing and teaching words in K to 2
How to build vocabulary through read-alouds in kindergarten to second grade: choosing words, explaining them during reading, and talk routines after reading.